Switch point lock



swr-TCH PINT LOCK Filed Feb. 8,' 1953 //v vf/vroes. bw/N W 600m/laf G50/265 A19/vaca Z5 L4 Z1 V ATTOEWE Ys.

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Patented May 29, 1934 ilNiTED STATES PATENT @FFEC SWITCH POINT LOCK W. Balkwill 'Application February 8, 1933, Serial No. 655,838`

8 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in locking devices for railroad switches, such as for example, a turn-out switch on the main track oi a railroad.

In a railroad turn-out switch the movable rails or points of the switch are thrown from one position to the other position by means of a throwing device usually designated as a switch-stand. These switch-stands and their operative connections to the switch are designed so that after they are operated, the movable rails or points of the switch are held in the desired position.

Since these switch-stands are secured to the ties and project upwardly and above the same they may be damaged by projecting members on Apassing trains or by being struck by wreckage in the event of an accident near the switch, such as for example, an automobile being struck by a locomotive and thrown against the switchstand. The switch-stand"` may be damaged so completely that the switch points are free to move and derailments and serious accidents may result.

An object of the invention is to provide a lock for a' railroad switch point which is entirely independent of the switch-stand and which will automatically lock the switch for main line or fast traic.

Another object of the invention is to provide a switch point lock wherein substantially all of the parts of the lock and its actuating mechanism ,are

below the ties andare thus protected thereby,`

to the end that in the event of an accident adjacent the switch, the likelihood of damage to the switch lock is minimized.

Another object is to provide a switch point lock which is entirely independent of the switch stand or switch throwing mechanism, so that even though the switch stand and mechanism is rendered inoperative the lock will not be affected and the switch points will continue to be held in their proper position.

A further object is to provide a switch point lock in which the parts are symmetrical so that the lock can be installed on either of the head ties of the switch or on either side'of the switch depending on the design and location of the switch throwing mechanism.

Another object is to provide a switch point lock wherein the actuating rod during operation of the lock acts as a tension rod irrespective of which side of the switch the lock is installed on, whereby bending of the rod will not affect the :functioning of the lock.

A further object is to provide a switch point lock which may be installed readily and with a minimum amount of labor, since all of the parts of the lock are connected to the ties.

Another object is to provide a switch point lock which is of simple construction and may be economically manufactured and which will re quire a minimum amount of maintenance, since all parts ci the lock proper are mounted in one casting.

Further and additional objects and advantages will become apparent during the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan View of a railroad track and turn-out switch, showing in full lines the locking device of the present invention mounted in operative position upon one of the head ties and in dot and dash lines said device mounted upon the same head tie in a position to be operated from the opposite side of the switch; this View further shows in dot and dash lines the locking device as it would be mounted in the corresponding positions upon the other head tie;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryrview partly in section andpartly in side elevation and is taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and shows one of the movable switch points locked in position against one of the fixed rails of the track;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but shows the movable switch point moved away from the xed rail and the lock released;

Fig, 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the switch point lock, part being shown in side elevation and part in section; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in section and shows the switch point lock mounted to be operated from the opposite side of the switch from Vthat shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Fig. l thereof, the fixed rails of the track are indicated at 10 and the movable switch points or rails are shown at 1l and 12. Since the switch illustrated herein is of standard construction and per se forms no part of the present invention, it will be sufficient to state that the switch points are connected together by tie bars 13 so as to move in unison and that the tie bar 13, located between the head ties lll and adjacent the ends of the switch points, is connected to an actuating rod 16, which, in turn, is operatively connected with the switch actuating or throwing mechanism indicated diagrammatically at 1'7 and arranged upon the switch stand 18 secured to the head ties 14 at one side of the switch. It will be understood that operation of the switch actuating mechanism serves to move the switch points 11 and 12 from the position in which they are shown in Fig. 1, wherein the straight track switch point 12 is closed and the turn-out switch point 11 open, to the other position wherein switch point 11 is closed and switch point 12 is opened. The switch actuating mechanism may be of any desired construction and there is no need for further reference thereto.

As set forth in the objrects,. the switch point lock of the present invention is secured to and carried by one or the other of the head ties. 14 and is located in a protected. position substantially entirely beneath the upper faces of said ties and is entirely independent of the switch stand and the switch actuating mechanism.

The switch point lock comprises a latch 3G supported by a casting 23 secured to .a latch attaching plate 19' which is a. flat plate provided with suitable openings for bolts, lag: screws, or other means 20, which secure the plate to, the top of one of the head1 tiesy and it is. further' provided adjacent one of itsendstwith spaced openings 21 for attaching. bolts 22 of-Y the latch supporting castingV 23.

The casting-t 23; is provided adjacent its; upper side with a longitudinally extending slot 24- having intermediate-itsends an enlargedopening and terminating atv its lower end inY an; undercut widened slot 25. The' heads, of the bolts 22 are passed throughV the enlargement in the slot 24 and into the undercut widened portion 25, after which: they are: moved toward the opposite end of; the casting whereby. the' heads of the boltszwill engage the casting oni opposite sides ofthe slot 25.

The boltsf22: pass through; the openings 2-1- in theplate 19 andthe-casting isisecured tothe plate by meansV of suitable nuts 26 screwed upon: the outer4 threaded endsv ofL the boltsy and holding: the headsof the bolts` in clamping positionr within the slot 25. A suitable plate 27 may loe-positioned over' the bolts and beneath the. nuts 26, sothat whenzits. ends are turned: up; as. shown in Fig-i. 4, they,y will engage; oneof` theflatsides of thenuts and hold' the.' same; against rotation.

It. will' be seen. that the cast-ing 23t can bey adjusted toward or-away from the rail l'vmerely by loosening thee nuts 26 and) sliding thecasting inwardly or outwardly as the' case may bel until it has been properly positione.dwhereupon thenuts 26'mayV aga-in be tightened.v A screw 28. may be provided with its inner end engaging one,l of the bolts 22 to act asa positive fastening to; prevent thev casting 23 slipping on: plateA 19 should it be attempted to throw the switch without releasing the lock'. The acljustabilityl of the casting isf an important feature in that it enables the assembly to be secured to the ties in an approximately correct position, whileV the casting can' be accurately positioned soas to properly locate the-head oil the latchwith respect to, theswitch point, as will later be` explained.

The inner end of thecasting 23 is'provided: with aV pair of spaced ears 29` forming a bearing bracket for the bell-crank or L-shaped latch lever 30, it being noted that saidfA lever is` pivoted at. the junction of itsr arms 31 and 32ibetweenv the; ears 29 uponv a pivot piny 3.3- extending through said earssandthe lever; The arn1.31r of. the lever is the.- longer and extends. in a substantially hori- Zontal. position beneath the iixed rail l()` and.` is provided at itsy outerl end withy an upwardly inclined'1 portion.havingv at. the; outer" end: thereof. a

head 34. The head 34 is provided at its opposite sides with shoulders 35 and 36, while the upper side of the head is curved so that the switch point 12, when the latch is released, may pass over the same andhold the latch in released position without, however, preventing closing movement o1" the switch point. The arm 32 of the lever is relatively short and extends vertically downwardly and is engaged by a spring plunger 37'slidably mounted in a recess 38 formed in the casting 23.2 and urged in an outward direction by a spring 39, thetension of which may be adjusted by an adjusting screw 40 mounted in the casting.

The spring pressed plunger 37, as has been stated, engages the arm 32 of the lever 30 and tends to move said arm in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, thus maintaining the head 34 of the lever in the raised or operative position. The outward and inward movement of the plunger 37 is limited by some suitable means, as for'examplaby means ot al pin 41 carried by the casting. 23 andi engaging' in` anv elongated opening 42 in. the plunger- The outwardl movement of the plunger being limited by the pin, the assembly may be shipped asrsuch without danger of losing the-spring and plunger. Since the-inward movement of the plunger is: limited, as set forth, it willv be seen that the plunger also acts as astop to limit thev swinging movement' off the-lever'ina direction tov release the: latch.

A. fork 43 on the end of a rod 44 straddl'es the lower end of the arm 32 of. the lever4 30. and is pivotally.l connected' thereto'. by means of a pivot pin145. extending through. the. forkr and the arm 32. The opposite` end. ci the rodi 44: is provided withl a similar fork.A 430i which. straddles--a treadle lever 46 and is pivotallyv connected thereto by means. of a pin 47.

The treadle lever` 46 is provided' with a foot engaging portion 48" and' is pivotally connected below the pin-.457r andin vertical alignment therewith bymeans oi' apivot pin=49to the; downwardly extending arm 50 of an attaching angle bracket 51 Whichhas its horizontal. arm secured. to; the head tie 114-towhich the plate-191s attached and adjacent to.- the switch-standI I8'.

ForA the purpose of better explaining; the construction, the installation, and the operation of the switch. point lock, reference will' bev made to the installationA and operation of the devicewhen the, same is mounted and used' as shown in. full lines inA Fig-1. As previously stated, the plate 19 is secured/tow the upperside of one of theY head ties 14' and-adjacent tothe'right-hand fixed track 10. The casting 23 may be'assembledY on the plate 19'prior to shipment and application oi the plate to. theties, or it may be mounted on the plate after the latter hasbeen secured to the ties. The casting 23,v i'f necessary, is then adjusted relatively.' to the fixed. rail' 10 until' the head 34 of the. lever 30 is in such position that the shoulder 35 thereon will engage with. the` flange of the switchv point 1X2; whenV said. point is against the rail. 10, asv clearly illustrated in Fig.. 2. TheY bracket 51 is secured. tothe samevheadA tie 1'4 but' adjacent to the switch stand 18 and' in such posi.- tion that when the latch: lever 30 is held by the spring plunger 37 in. its operative position; with theshoulder 35 engaging the flange. of the switch point 12; thevrod 44T willhold` thetreadle lever 46 in its elevatedV position.

When. itis desired to shirtthe switch points 11 and 12v to the oppositefposition'; to that shown in Fig. 1, that is, to the position intwhich the point 1L will: engage: with; the: left-hand xed rail. 10,

the switchman depresses the treadle 46 with his foot, whereupon the lever 30 is rocked invan anticlockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, and the shoulder 35 of the head 34 is disengaged positively from the hange of the switch point 12. IThe switchman maintaining the treadle depressed then operates the switch actuating mechanism to throw the switch, whereupon Ythe switch point 12 passes over the head 34 of the lever 30 and holds the same infthe depressed position. When it is desired to return the switch points il and 12 to the position shown in Fig. l, the switchman merely operates the switch actuating mechanism to this end, but does not have to depress the treadle 46, it being noted that as the switch point 12 rides off of the head of the lever 30, the spring pressed plunger 37 swings the lever in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3 and the shoulder 35 is again brought into locking engagement with the flange of the switch point l2. l

rl-he lever 30 is so positioned and the head 34 thereof so dimensioned that when the lswitch point 12 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 3, there will be no danger of the head 34 swinging in between the fixed rail 1G and the switch point 12, and thus prevent return of the switch point to the position shown in Fig. 2.

If it is desired to mount the switch point lock upon the other head tie la, it is merely necessary to remove nuts 25, turn casting 23 end for end on plate 19 and then refasten the bolts 22. 1n like manner the treadle assembly may be transferred to and secured upon the other head tie le by first removing pedal 46 from bracket 51, turning it end for end and reassembling on pivot 49.

In case the switch-stand 18 is located on the other side of the track, the plate 19 with the casting 23 thereon is secured to one or the other of the head ties 14 intermediate the switch points 11 and 12 and the casting 23 is adjusted so that when the lever 30 is in the raised position, the shoulder 3S of the head 34 engages the flange of the switch point 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The foot treadle 46 is mounted on the head tie in the same way as previously explained, while a longer rod 44 is used to connect the lever 30 with the treadle. other respects, however, the operation of the switch point lock, when thus mounted, is the same as has been previously eX- plained.

It will be noted that irrespective of the position in which the switch point lock is mounted, the rod 44 operates in tension and not in compression and hence should said rod become bent, the functioning of the lock would not be altered or affected, the result being merely that the treadle 46 would be slightly elevated.

From the foregoing description it will be clearly seen that substantially all of the parts of the switch point locks are located below the level of the head ties and, therefore, in a protected position.

It wiil further be noted that the switch point lock is entirely independent of the switch stand or the switch actuating mechanism and, therefore, even though such stand or mechanism were destroyed, the lock would not be affected.

It should also be observed that the pivot for the latch lever, the operating spring 39, and the stop which limits the downward movement of the lever when the latch is released are all contained in one casting and, therefore, will require a minimum amount of maintenance.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein,

it should be understood that the invention is susceptible of various adaptations and modifications within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described our invention, we

1. A lock for railway switch points comprising,

in both directions, and means operable from a point adjacent to the switch stand for positively actuating said latch to unlocking position.

2. A lock for railway switch points comprising, means adapted to be secured to a head tie adjacent a fixed rail of the track, la substantially L- shaped latch lever pivotally connected to said means and having one of its arms provided with a head adapted to engage with a movable switch point to lock the same against the rail, a spring pressed plunger carried by said means and engaging the ot er arm of the lever to hold said latch lever normally with its head in locking position, and means operable from a point adiacent to the switch stand for positively actuating said lever to move said head to unlocking position.

3. A lock for railway switch points comprising a plate adapted to be secured to a head tie and adjacent a fixed rail of the track, a member secured to said plate and lying substantially entirely beneath the plane of the upper surface of the tie, said member being adjustable with respect to said plate toward and away from said rail, a latch lever pivotally connected to said member and provided with a head adapted to engage a movable switch point to lock the same against the xed rail, spring pressed means carried by said member and engaging said latch lever for holding said head normally in locking position, and means operable from a point adjacent to the switch stand for positively actuating said latch lever to move said head to unlocking position.

4. A lock for railway switch points comprising means adapted to be secured to a head tie adjacent a fixed rail of the track, a latch lever pivotally connected to said means and provided with spaced shoulders adapted to engage a movable switch point to lock the same against the Vfixed rail whereby the position of said latch lever may be reversed, means for normally holding said lever in locking position, and means operable from a point adjacent to the switch stand for actuating said lever to unlocking position.

5. A lock for railway switch points comprising, an attaching plate adapted to be secured to either head tie and adjacent to either side of a iixed rail of the track, a reversible member secured to said plate and lying substantially entirely beneath the plane of the upper surface of the head tie to which the plate is secured, a latch lll) lever pivotally connected to said member and and adjacent toeither side of a xed rail of the track, a member. secured to said plate and lying substantially entirely beneath the plane of the upper surface of the tie, said member being reversible with respect to said plate and adjustable toward and away from said rail, a latch lever pivotally connected to said member and provided with a portion adapted to engage a movable switch point to lock the same against the Xed rail, means for holding said portion of said latch lever normally in locking position, and means operable from apoint adjacent to the switch stand for actuating said latchlever to move said portion to unlocking position.

'7. A lock for railway switch points comprising, a plate adapted to be secured to either head tie and adjacent to either side of a xed rail of the track, a member having a latch lever pivotally connected thereto, means for adjustably and reversibly securing said member to said plate and substantially entirely beneath the upper surface of the head tie, said latch lever having a head provided with oppositely disposed spaced shoulders adapted to engage a movable switch point td lock the same against the switch rail whereby said latch lever and said member may be selectively positioned on either side of the fixed rail, means for holding said latch lever normally in locking position, and means operable from a point adjacent to the switch stand for actuating said lever to unlocking position.

8. A lock for railway switch points comprising, a member adapted to be connected with either head tie and adjacent to either side of a xed rail of a track and lying substantially entirely beneath the plane of the upper surface of the head tie with which it is connected, means associated with said member whereby its position may be reversed, a latch lever pivotally connected to said member and provided with a portion adapted to engage a movable switch point to lock the same against a xed rail, means for holding said portion of said lever normally in locking position, andmeans operable from a point adjacent to the switch stand for actuating said latch to move said portion to unlocking position.

EDWIN W. GOODAIRE. GEORGE ARNOLD. 

